The present invention is generally directed to a process and system for treating waste water. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a process and system for treating an effluent with ozone to decompose the organic material within, sufficiently reduce microorganisms within, and improve the odor of the liquid.
One major dilemma plaguing farmers who raise livestock and/or poultry is the ability to efficiently neutralize and dispose of animal waste. Left untreated, animal waste is a significant health and environmental hazard. Animal waste creates a public nuisance because of its odor, and improper disposal is associated with significant problems such as water contamination.
In the past, animal waste was typically collected and channeled to a pond or lagoon. Before being emptied into the lagoon, the animal waste may or may not have been separated via mechanical means in order to remove various particulate matter such as sediment. Once fed to the pond or lagoon, the animal waste came in contact with various microorganisms and underwent biodegradation.
Prior art systems, however, have various deficiencies and drawbacks. In particular, these systems did little to initially improve the odor of the waste. Typically, odors originating from the animal waste were only improved or reduced over a substantial amount of time.
Further, these systems tended to work very slowly and would completely fail under some environmental conditions. For instance, under stagnant and hot conditions, the pond or lagoon would fail to adequately biodegrade the waste, overloading the system and creating a very unfavorable situation. Continued deposit of waste into the overloaded system would result in reduced growth or death of the microorganisms responsible for biodegradation.
As such, a need currently exists for an improved system and process for treating animal waste. In particular, a need currently exists for a process that can safely treat animal waste very rapidly to immediately reduce or otherwise improve the odor that is given off by the waste. A need also exists for a system and process that can very quickly reduce BOD, COD, total bacterial count, and the total coliform count present in animal waste.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process and system for treating animal waste.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for treating liquid waste to improve the odor associated with the liquid waste.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a process for treating animal waste comprising contacting the animal waste solution with ozone in an amount sufficient to oxidize and decompose organic matter contained in the animal waste solution.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a system and process to treat animal waste such that BOD, COD, total bacterial content and the coliform content of the waste are substantially reduced.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a system and process for treating animal waste. The process includes the steps of collecting an animal waste solution containing a mixture of water and animal fecal matter and contacting the animal waste solution with ozone in an amount sufficient to oxidize organic matter contained in the animal waste solution. Specifically, the process for treating animal waste is capable of improving the odor associated with the animal waste. The process of the present invention also reduces BOD, COD, total bacterial content and the coliform content associated with the animal waste. By partially oxidizing the organic matter in route to a lagoon, the process of the present invention makes the organic matter more readily biodegradable and utilizable by the microflora in the lagoon